WaterWorld Weekly Newscast, January 30, 2017.
The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for January 30, 2017.
Hi, I’m Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of January 30.
Coming up… San Diego announces end to drought emergency Court rules Des Moines water utility not entitled to damages Cali.
water provider cuts ribbon on advanced nitrate removal system Tanzania gets $225M for water supply, sanitation Last week, the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors declared an end to drought conditions in the region and asked California Governor Jerry Brown to rescind the statewide drought emergency regulations for regions with sufficient supplies.
Owing to wet winter conditions and recent heavy rainfall, as of January 23, San Diego’s official rainfall measurement station recorded 172 percent of average rainfall since the start of the water year on Oct. 1.
Des Moines Water Works was suing drainage districts in three Iowa counties over elevated nitrate levels.
When nitrate levels spike, Des Moines must use a costly nitrate removal system to meet drinking water regulations.
Rather, that should happen through the state legislature via policy changes.
For Pasadena’s Sunny Slope Water Company, which relies 100% on groundwater, cost-effectively reducing high nitrate levels has been a major objective.

originally posted on April 15, 2016

 

Lalit MohanTribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 14

Water being supplied to McLeodganj is not safe to drink. It is contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites. The damaged water pipes supplying drinking water in McLeodganj and the leaking septic tanks are to blame.The facts have come to the fore in a study carried out by Cynthia Travis, a hydro geologist from the US, who has been staying at McLeodganj for the past five years to study the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan language.Cynthia said the water flowing from the tap in McLeodganj was not safe to drink. It was contaminated with bacteria, including serratia marcescens which caused urinary tract infections, pseudomonas aeruginosa which caused pneumonia and E-coli which caused diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia. The water was also contaminated with parasites and viruses, she said.Cynthia said she was making the claims from the tests she had conducted on the water being supplied to McLeodganj.She further said the cause for the contamination was leaking septic tanks, overflowing sewers, and animals and humans defecating on the ground. The contaminated water got into the drinking water system through leaky water pipes. Therefore, the water provided to hotels and homes alike got contaminated, she said.“The water in McLeodganj needs to be treated prior to consumption. A system that works quite well in Thailand could be used here. In Thailand, they provide safe drinking water to everyone through reverse osmosis (RO) vending machines. These machines are placed on street corners so access is provided to the public. For a small fee, clean water is provided. I recommend the state water department to contact an agency in Thailand to determine the pros and cons of that system,” she said.Cynthia said another approach was to install RO filtration systems in critical areas such as schools, hospitals, and monasteries.A local NGO, LHA Charitable Trust, had been installing filtration systems in schools and high public use areas. They had installed over 50 filters. They not only installed filter systems, but also maintained them, she said.Cynthia said the current water distribution system was a series of randomly placed water pipes that did not have the capacity to supply the water demand for all residents and a large influx of tourists to the area. She said there was a plenty of surface and ground water in the area to meet the needs. However, due to a broken distribution system and poor planning, there was a constant water shortage.

by Anthony Cotton, originally posted on June 20, 2016

 

Roy Heald says he doesn’t have a problem drinking the water in Security, Colorado. But the district manager for the town of 19,000 south of Colorado Springs admits he’s not pregnant, lactating or bottle-feeding an infant. People in those groups may be most affected by a recent advisory from the Environmental Protection Agency that says portions of the town’s water supply have been contaminated by potentially harmful chemicals.

In May, the agency reduced the levels for allowable contamination by perfluorinated chemicals from 0.4 micrograms per liter to 0.07 micrograms per liter, almost 10 times less. The advisory only provides technical guidelines to states and regulation isn’t mandatory, however it has had a great impact in Security.

“The EPA lowered the standards below what we had anticipated; and then the problem was the new health advisory was so much more stringent that none of our wells would meet them,” Heald said. “Different people have different concerns. The health advisory is protecting the most sensitive members of the population — pregnant women, fetuses, infants…I’m a healthy middle-aged male so I feel my risk is low. But I understand that others rightfully have concerns.”

Well water has been most affected by the advisory; Heald said that supply is largely being replaced by surface water. However, he adds that there’s not enough at present to meet peak demand — and water usage is as much as five times greater during the summer.

Wells have been shut down and other steps, like the installation of new pipes and building filtration structures, are underway. The problem is paying for them. Heald says the cost will eventually have to be passed on to customers.

“We’ve been asking for help from anyone who will listen for some financial support but no one has offered,” he said. “There’s no party that’s been found to be responsible for the contamination, so no one’s stepped up to pay for this.”

by Rhian Deutrom, originally posted on June 21, 2016

 

Water samples collected around Oakey by The Courier-Mail this month have found shocking amounts of deadly perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), despite the Defence Department discontinuing their use in firefighting foam at the Army Aviation Base in 2006.

The findings have alarmed experts and will likely add to mounting pressure on Defence Minister Marise Payne, who confirmed she would visit Oakey on Thursday.

The Courier-Mail collected samples from Oakey Creek, a local easement and an irrigation bore for independent testing and analysis.

The water samples, collected under the guidance of organic chemists from Australian Laboratory Services, found PFOS and PFOA levels in Oakey Creek at more than 12 times the accepted maximum exposure limits of 0.07 micrograms per litre. Samples from the easement produced levels almost 14 times greater than acceptable.

But the most staggering result was found in the irrigation bore of local father Brad Hudson with PFOS at more than 425 times the maximum exposure limits, which was 42 per cent higher than his last test, three months ago.

Mr Hudson’s bore also recorded PFOA at 23 times the maximum limit.

The father-of-three is one of many Oakey men diagnosed with testicular cancer, which last month was linked to PFOS and PFOA exposure by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

His daughter Amba, 5, recorded PFOS and PFOA in her blood at 30 times the Australian average.

“This is the hardest position to be in as a parent … there isn’t a night I don’t think about what I’m subjecting my kids to before I shut my eyes,” Mr Hudson said.

National Toxics Network chemical expert Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith said results were “extremely concerning. The levels we are seeing here should be ringing every alarm bell,” Dr Lloyd-Smith said.

State Environment Minister Steven Miles said the results showed Defence that contamination was “substantial and persistent”.

“If this were a private company EHP would be using its regulatory and compliance powers to require tests like this be performed and reported. But, because EHP can’t use those powers over Defence, we call upon Malcolm Turnbull to ensure the Commonwealth does everything we would expect of a private company.’’

Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio said his council would continue to push the Federal Government and Defence to act for Oakey.

Shine Lawyers partner Peter Shannon said the results demonstrated how “incredibly polluted the army base is”.

by Michael Henrich and Christine McCarthy, originally posted on June 20, 2016

 

UXBRIDGE, Mass. – The town of Uxbridge has extended its boil water order until at least Wednesday following the discovery of E. coli in the town’s public water supply.

Municipal water samples taken during routine testing late last week tested positive for coliform and then E. coli.

Further test results returned on Monday showed no trace of E. coli, but were positive for other potentially dangerous contaminants.

The Department of Public Works urged residents to use bottled water or boil the tap water for at least one minute before using it.

The town also asked residents to throw away all drinks, ice and food that have been made with town tap water within the last several days.

E. coli, a member of the coliform group, is a dangerous bacterium, especially for people with weakened immune systems. It can cause serious health issues and is most dangerous to infants, young children and the elderly.

Restaurants and other businesses around town closed, because they were unable to use town water for ice and cooking.

North Uxbridge Baptist Church and several Uxbridge businesses donated thousands of gallons of water to residents Monday.

One business, Uxbridge House of Pizza, remained open, but owner Adrian Bassim was forced to leave town to buy water to continue operations.

The schools were also closed on Monday, but will reopen Tuesday. School officials have been advised to tape off water fountains and provide hand sanitizer to students on their last day before summer vacation. Parents should send children to school with bottled water.

Town officials believe construction on Main Street, involving 100-year-old water mains, is to blame for the contamination.

The water department is adding chlorine to the town’s water and flushing the system to make the water safe again. In doing so, some residents are experiencing minimal water pressure.

The town will distribute free bottled water at the Department of Public Works beginning at 9 a.m., on Tuesday

 

originally posted on June 19, 2016

 

BOSTON — Although citywide monitoring shows an improvement in the water quality in Flint, Michigan, pathogenic forms of Legionella are still being cultured from samples, and researchers say continued vigilance is needed to help prevent another outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease as the weather gets warmer.

Genesee County, which encompasses Flint, experienced two clusters of Legionnaires’ disease in 2014 and 2015 after the city switched its primary water source from the Detroit water system to the more corrosive Flint River. Ninety-one people were infected overall in the outbreak and 12 died.

Since Oct. 15, 2015, when Flint was reconnected to the Detroit water system, the city has seen an improvement in its water quality, according to researchers who are testing for Legionella as part of a larger project studying Flint’s water.

“It’s pretty clear that it’s a different water going through and it’s treated better than it was in the fall,” Otto Schwake, PhD, research scientist in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, said during a news conference at ASM Microbe.

‘Built to live in water’

Legionnaires’ disease, a deadly form of pneumonia, is the leading cause of drinking water-related outbreaks in the United States and has a mortality rate of around 9% — very high for a water-borne disease, Schwake said. Legionella is “built to live in water,” he said, especially in engineered systems and particularly when heat is involved. Humans can become infected with Legionella in two ways — through respiration and aspiration.

Schwake is part of the research group that identified high levels of lead contamination in Flint’s water supply last year — an issue that received more attention than the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease for several reasons, according to Schwake and another member of the research team, Amy Pruden, PhD, professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech.

“Legionnaires’ disease is more complex than lead poisoning,” Pruden said during the news conference. “We’ve known lead is toxic since the time of the Romans. It’s pretty straightforward.”

Before the city was switched back to the Detroit water system, the researchers monitored Flint water for Legionella by collecting tap samples from homes, businesses and hospitals in August and October. They collected samples again in March, several months after the switchover, and compared them with the earlier results. As a control, they also tested water from buildings in areas surrounding Flint, including Flint Township, which never switched off the Detroit water supply.

Two water samples were collected at each outlet: one cold water sample taken immediately after the tap was turned on, and one hot water sample taken after letting the water run for 60 seconds. Temperature and pH levels were measured on site, and metal concentration analyses were performed in a lab. In March, they began cultivating Legionella, a step that was added to confirm potentially pathogenic forms of the bacteria and allow them to collect isolates that can be compared with those from other outbreaks. They are studying the isolates for genes that are linked to pathogenic forms of Legionella, including L. pneumophila, which causes about 90% of Legionnaires’ disease. So far, they have observed L. pneumophila in about half of their samples from large and small buildings, Schwake said.

Results show improvement, but continued monitoring ‘critical’

In large buildings, and one hospital in particular, the concentration and number of positive results for Legionella decreased between November and March, although the results were still high compared with other similar studies in the U.S. Nearly 90% of the water outlets in one building were still positive for Legionella, Schwake said.

In small buildings, the percentage of positive samples decreased “substantially,” he said, but the average concentrations were similar in November and March.

“The improved water quality that we and other groups are seeing in Flint has played a role in reducing the Legionella numbers,” Schwake said. “But the caveat is that Legionella likes hot temperatures. In March, when it’s still snowing in Flint, the tap water is still cold and that could have impacted our numbers. So it will be very critical to continue monitoring the system going forward into the hot months.”

Cases of Legionnaires’ disease on the rise nationally

The CDC recently reported that the number of Legionnaires’ disease cases in the U.S. quadrupled from 2000 to 2014 to about 5,000 per year. The government agency says most of the cases can be prevented with improvements in water system management.

In May, free water was provided to residents to flush out their pipes, which should have improved the situation, Schwake said. This month, Schwake and Pruden’s group will begin a study focusing on home water heaters in Flint and whether flushing or replacing them will solve the Legionella problem. They will collect warm-weather samples of Flint water in August to test the hypothesis that levels of Legionella should not return to those seen during the outbreak.

In the meantime, Schwake urged that patients who have pneumonia or symptoms of pneumonia see a doctor to be tested for Legionnaires’ disease.

“We need to be cautious with our work because another outbreak like this could be devastating,” Schwake said.

Flint water is being monitored extensively for lead contamination and, as of April, was still unsafe to drink without using an appropriate filter, Schwake said. As for its safety in terms of Legionella contamination, more testing is needed.

“A nonzero risk exists,” he said. “Is it higher than other cities? Possibly. Is it major concern like it was in previous years? Probably not.”

Pruden said it would be hard to prove that the switchover to the Flint River as a water supply caused the clusters of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County because isolates were not collected from community pipes.

“Our goal is not to say the Flint River caused these outbreaks,” Schwake said. “I don’t know if that will ever be possible.” – by Gerard Gallagher

by David Kumbroch, originally posted on June 17, 2016

 

(WHNT) – There are no good options for people who want to know how severe their exposure is after water contamination in Lawrence and Morgan counties.

The West Morgan East Lawrence Water Authority and West Lawrence Water Co-Op have said their water isn’t safe to drink, because of high levels of PFOA and PFOS, which exceed a new EPA advisory handed down in May. The chemicals have been linked to cancer and a number of other serious health ailments.

But there are few answers on how severe or lengthy the exposure was, which is especially important given that the chemicals build up in the blood over time. Blood tests could show individuals how much of the chemicals have stored up in their bodies, but without state intervention, they are prohibitively difficult and expensive to obtain.

You can get a sense for how the situation plays out by looking to other affected communities. Blood tests have riled the residents of Hoosick Falls, New York.

After it was determined area chemical companies had polluted village wells, they’ve learned PFOA isn’t just in their water.

It’s in their bodies; it’s in their families.

They rally at state buildings, trying to gain more support from New York’s government. It’s a familiar script since they discovered their drinking water was contaminated by the same substance that led the West Morgan East Lawrence Water Authority to tell its customers their water isn’t safe to drink.

David Engel, an environmental attorney who has pushed the Hoosick Falls situation through litigation tells us, “When the village became aware of the problem, the village first contacted the New York State Department of Health. And this was back in 2014. And to be blunt about it, the New York State Department of Public Health was not particularly helpful.”

Michael Hickey, a resident of Hoosick Falls, first discovered the contamination after his father passed away from kidney cancer, an ailment linked to PFOA exposure. He agrees, “I don’t think the New York State Department of Health really did a great job at all with trying to help us push this forward.”

The pair say they had to get the EPA involved to motivate state agencies.

Both agree, though, that the state health department offering blood tests to residents has been invaluable.

Hickey explains, “You know, I think it’s one thing when it’s in your water. But then when you actually realize that it’s in your blood, it’s a whole lot more personal.”

“People have a right to know what they’ve been exposed to,” Engel adds, “They have a right to know whether or not they may have an advanced chance of developing one of these horrible diseases or conditions.”

Perhaps most horrifying, Hickey says, “We’re seeing children’s blood come back as high as a 150 parts-per-billion. The national average is two parts-per-billion.”

But Engel does note of the all-important blood test, “It’s not the sort of blood work you get done when you go in for your routine physical.”

by Colleen Sikora, originally posted on June 17, 2016

 

SECURITY-WIDEFIELD, Colo. – Several people have been stopping by a purified water station Friday, because of  the concerns about contaminated drinking water in Fountain, Security and Widefield.

Toni Fontaine lives in Widefield, and went to a water refill station Friday for the first time. She filled up two jugs of water for her family.

“I’m concerned because my daughter is pregnant,” said Fontaine.

Filling the two bottles cost $2.45. Toni thinks they’ll last her family just two days.

“I’m not liking the fact that I have to pay for it because I’m already paying for water I can’t even drink,” Fontaine said.

But it’s worth the cost for Fontaine.

“It says it’s purified drinking water, so that’s my peace of mind, knowing that there’s no contamination in it,” said Fontaine.

The question now is, how long will Security-Widefield residents have to wonder if their drinking water is safe?

“This could provide a solution to communities who are seeing questions about their water qualities,” said U.S. Senator Cory Gardner.

Gardner spoke at the Southern Delivery System Water Project today. The project is pumping 50 million gallons a day from Pueblo Reservoir into Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security, Pueblo and Pueblo West.

“Security for sure,” said Jerry Forte CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities.

Forte believes this water could help address water contamination concerns.

“Absolutely helps security in particular, this is surface water, it’s renewable water. It’s water they’ll be able to use that doesn’t come from groundwater supplies,” said Forte.

Nonetheless, paying twice for water doesn’t sit well with Fontaine.

“This is very upsetting,” said Fontaine. “But we have to, we have no choice.”

Most faucets in Indian families are actually made up of brass and causes lead contamination in water.

originally posted on June 17, 2016

 

New Delhi: The water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan has fueled concerns about how much lead is coming out of taps in homes across India.

The case study acted as an eye opener for many countries across the globe in implementing strict regulations on manufacturing of pipes and faucets for domestic use.

However, India seems to ignore this on temperamental level. The shining faucets largely used in Indian families, are actually made up of Brass, which causes lead contamination in water and causes severe damage to human body.

Indian Plumbing Today (IPT) feels our real estate developers, plumbing design consultants and contractors should join hands together to put their full efforts in providing a self-regulating mechanism where proper govt. regulations and guidelines can be developed and are followed by Indian manufacturers for fixtures and fittings.

Active in Sinks and Faucet Industry since two decades, Anupam Sinks exposed the reality behind shining and beautiful faucets widely used in almost every Indian family.

According to Centre for Science and Environment research, the sub-standard household plumbing fixture contribute to contamination of lead in the drinking water, a neurotoxin that affects the developing brains and nervous systems of children and infants. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has permitted 0.01 mg/l(max) of lead in drinking water.

This amount, apart from old rusted plumbing in Indian household, is easily contributed by sub-standard faucets which usually contain about 12 percent of lead. Water sitting for several hours or overnight in a brass faucet can leach lead from the brass faucet interior which may produce high lead levels in the first draw of drinking water.

According to Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of United States, the Household plumbing is an alarming source of lead exposure and brass faucets are the single greatest contributing source of lead in consumers’ drinking water. The EPA estimates that up to 20 percent of human lead exposure is the result of lead in our plumbing, including faucets. Brass Faucets are banned in US under Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

India’s veteran manufacturers of high quality stainless steel kitchen sinks & faucets, Anupam Sinks, Director, Rajendra Garg informs, as compared to price and appearance Brass Faucet has relatively low melting points that make it easy to cast and easy to produce and sale in term of cost as well.

However, Stainless Steel contains no lead, which in today’s regulatory environment is a big plus. Mr Garg believes that a combined effort by industry leaders and government can ensure to keep our drinking water safe and hence prevent irreplaceable damage.

by Jonathan Oosting and Chad Livengood, originally posted on June 17, 2016

 

Lansing — Flint’s water distribution system is too large and its treatment plant is inadequately staffed, operated and administered, Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy said in a Thursday letter to Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver.

While testing shows that Flint’s water quality is improving, McCarthy stressed there are “significant challenges to the long-term goal of reliable and sustainable clean drinking water” as the city considers using its plant to treat raw Lake Huron water from the Karegnondi Water Authority.

Flint operators lack the appropriate expertise to run a granular media surface water treatment plant, according to an EPA-commissioned evaluation by Sleeping Giant Environmental Consultants of Montana, which noted mistakes “can have a huge impact” on public health.

The plant also has few written operating procedures, an inadequate number of maintenance staff and lacks a formal preventative and corrective maintenance program, according to the evaluation, which indicates that maintenance priorities “appear to be established by crisis.”

The report includes a series of prioritized recommendations for the city to take to ensure it complies with federal rules for surface water treatment plants. An earlier EPA emergency order requires the city to demonstrate it has the technical, managerial and financial capacity to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act before it switches to the KWA or another primary water source.

McCarthy said the Weaver administration must ensure the drinking water system can hire rapidly and contract quickly for expert support. The technical viability of the system requires a long-term plan for financial support.

“The drinking-water-treatment system must have the people, equipment, management, training and expert support it needs to function reliably and well,” the EPA chief wrote.

The size of Flint’s water distribution system is too large for current and projected water demand in Flint, McCarthy said. Oversized systems can lead to water resting in pipes too long, “potentially causing a loss of chlorine residual, which is a necessary barrier against pathogens.”

McCarthy noted the EPA, Flint officials and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have installed a flushing system designed to combat stagnant water, “but the state and city will have to determine and implement a solution for the long-term.”

The letter and water treatment plant evaluation come as the city continues to weigh whether it will move forward with plans to draw and treat water from the new KWA pipeline, which could be operating by spring 2017.

Flint returned to Detroit’s Lake Huron water source in October after temporarily switching to the Flint River in April 2014, a decision along with the lack of corrosion controls that helped lead to the contamination crisis. Flint, under control of a state-appointed emergency manager at the time, had not previously operated the plant on a full-time basis.

Weaver said McCarthy’s letter confirms what Flint officials have been saying for months: “We not only need new pipes, we need new infrastructure.”

“The water system in the City of Flint is old, antiquated and too large to adequately serve the city’s current population, which is much smaller than it was decades ago when the water system was put in place,” the mayor said in a statement. “Our city needs a complete infrastructure update to address these issues now and in the long term.”

The EPA consultants acknowledged their April 25-28 review of the Flint water treatment plant was limited because it was not fully operational, KWA would not provide them data on its raw water quality and they could not interview “the person who was responsible for process control decisions when the plant was in operation,” according to the report.

McCarthy said the city and state “face an important decision” on the long-term source of drinking water for Flint and said that decision “must be based on what is best for protecting public health and ensuring compliance with drinking-water standards.”

Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton said the governor’s office is reviewing the letter and will be “working with the city to address the issues” raised by the EPA.

Heaton noted that the fiscal year 2017 state budget awaiting Snyder’s signature includes $1.5 million for the DEQ to hire 10 new full-time employees to help Flint with water operations, including corrosion control specialists, sampling staff, lab staff and service line verification staff.

State legislators have so far approved roughly $236 million in funding to address the Flint water crisis since October.

The KWA decision is ultimately up to the city, Heaton said. The Snyder-created Flint Water Interagency Coordination Committee is helping to evaluate options, including continued use of treated Detroit water or KWA water treated by a new Genesee County plant.

Weaver said the city is dealing with the “aftermath” of state-appointed emergency managers who reduced water plant staff when they ran Flint between December 2011 and April 2015.

“Our current employees are getting the job done and administration is actively working to recruit additional experienced and qualified people for several posted positions,” she said. “But we also need additional resources to pay experienced, qualified people. That’s money that must come from the state.”

The consultant’s evaluation of the Flint plant paints a picture of an unorganized facility charged with ensuring 100,000 residents have clean water, saying Flint’s municipal water treatment plant staff were “unprepared and ill-equipped” to treat Flint River when the city left Detroit’s system.

“As one would expect with a staff that has limited experience with surface water treatment, there is an apparent lack of understanding of water treatment concepts and how those concepts can apply to controlling treatment processes in ways that ensure high quality finished water,” the consultants wrote.

The firm found Flint’s water plant has no inventory of its equipment or documentation detailing how old it is and what it would cost to replace the water treatment equipment.

“There is no inventory of critical spare parts, and purchasing policy has limited the acquisition of an appropriate inventory of parts,” the consultants wrote in its report. “There is no formal work order program to prioritize, track, and evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance tasks.”

Water plant staff described Flint’s purchasing policy as “cumbersome” and “lengthy,” the consultants said.

The EPA’s consultants also expressed concern the Flint water plant has far too few employees.

“Staffing is inadequate for water treatment plant maintenance needs, and additional staff are also required for maintenance of facilities that are not essential for water quality,” the consulting firm wrote in its report.

Flint officials last week announced that the city had installed a new temporary system at the water plant to boost chlorine levels following an EPA warning that warm summer temperatures could lead to chlorine decay.

The federal agency had recommended the city install a new pumping system to increase levels of chlorine, which is used in municipal systems to prevent disease-causing organisms from developing.

“In a well-performing system, these issues would be anticipated and addressed as a matter of routine, rather than on a crisis basis,” McCarthy wrote. The urgent action “demonstrates, more powerfully than any report can, that there are basic operational deficits for personnel, contracting and funding that are essential to resolve.”